japanese – Shine & Starfire

Back tracking to a few of my recent favorites. Always a love for Japanese brands, this is no exception. I’ve been meaning to write this post for quite sometime but wanted to gather a bit more research on company background.
Introducing Tasaki Intl. a subsidiary of the infamous DeBeers company head quartered in Japan. Tasaki Intl. is a luxury Japanese brand with new and innovative designs adhering to old school materials such as the classic pearl.

With pearls making a bold resurgence; design head Thakoon Panichgul creates fresh new ideas to showcase the elegance of pearls. And quite frankly, I’m a fan.

Small background on Thakoon Panichgul: he is Thailand born, Omaha Nebraska raised, and currently NYC based designer. Truly brilliant designer who brings new ideas to his creations. I have nothing but respect for him. Panichgul’s work like many but few have graces the presence of many a famous celebrity (including the Obamas!).

As always I digress.

With a flare for elegance, modernity, the Tasaki branded jewelry never feels clunky or too much. Feast for the eyes to follow. Each line of jewelry is distinct in design (and designer) as each line is created in collaboration with different jewelry designers such as Melanie Georgacopoulous, Mare-Helene de Taillac etc. Collaborations with these designers generate new styles while keeping the beauty and elegance of the materials quality still at 100%.

SIDE BAR // I’ve recently found myself gravitating to pearls. A personal favorite brand, Vita Fede has been showcasing pearls in a classic yet modern and elegant way. In general I’ve found more and more jewelry companies designing pieces in pearl or with pearl accents. I’ve also seen younger girls accessorize with pearly pieces (real or otherwise). To be honest, I’ve always believed pearls would be for… lets say… mature women (ok fine, old people). But seeing trends and I, myself owning a pair of black pearls; they’re not that bad at all; I do not think pearls age me as much as I feared they would. But then again… does that make me more mature/ old now?

On the note of uncommon luxury jewelers and their designs is that of Japanese jeweler Yoshinobu Kataoka of Kataoka Jewelry.
From what I’ve seen its very common for Japanese jewelers to convey the dainty feeling of all their designs. Kataoka is not exception to this ‘rule’. I think it has something to do with the modest Japanese culture- nothing too flashy or too over the top.

What especially caught my attention with Kataoka’s designs is that he literally drills holes in diamonds for his necklaces. Similar to Martin Margiela’s split sapphire ring, this jeweler is unafraid to ‘cut corners’ (in this case holes) to create new and refreshing looks.
I mean, diamonds to a lot of people are sacred things and the larger the better right? There’s always talk of quality and imperfections of diamonds lowering the price of shiny rocks but kataoka throws that idea away. He treats diamonds as you do with less pricey precious stones (rose quartz etc) the idea that you can manipulate a piece of rock to create wearable aesthetically pleasing pieces, albeit dainty expensive ones.

Needless to say, I love the idea of drilling holes into diamonds. It kind of reminds me of a passive aggressive front on blood diamonds and the diamond industry in general. Americans and I believe millennials are instilled with this idea that diamonds are forever. In addition that ~~for a man to love a woman is to commit by spending one third of his annual income by buying her a diamond ring~~ women are taught to aspire to the idea of marriage and the idea that getting ‘the ring’ is a common goal. That is not to say that is the case for all women, I am merely providing my musings.
But I digress. Most jewelers in this day and age I feel must confine by societal standards to make a living. That’s just how it is.

Current Song:
Hands to myself
By: Selena Gomez